The Priors Hall

THE PRIORS HALL

SHUCKBURGH ROAD, PRIORS MARSTON, SOUTHAM, CV47 7RS

Registered Charity No. 522983

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING.

MINUTES

Meeting Date: 22/09/2017 / Time: 7.30pm / Place: Priors Hall,
Shuckburgh Rd.
Priors Marston

The meeting was chaired by Lee Robinson, the Hall Committee’s chairman.

1.  Welcome:

The Hall’s Committee welcomed: Margaret Clarke; Sue Talbot and Malcolm Monkhouse to the meeting.

2.  Apologies for absence were received from:

Sylvia Sutherland; Barbara Harvey; and Vivien Nind. (The last two are Committee members).

3. Minutes of the 2016 AGM.

These were read out to the meeting by the Hall’s Secretary and they were approved by those present and there were no Matters arising from them that were not covered later in the meeting.

4.  Progress report for the year 1st April 2016 to 31st March 2017.

This information was again read out by the Hall’s Secretary and it was as follows:

AGM REPORT FOR 2017.

THIS YEAR’S COMMITTEE MEMBERS:

·  The representative from the Priors Marston Parish Council is Vivien Nind and she, together with Paul Wood, have been Committee Members along with two new ones who joined during the past year and they are Helen Menezes and Martin Jezzard.

·  Barbara Harvey, Jane Richards, (the Treasurer), Lee Robinson, (the Chairman), Les Wareham and Mike Smith, (the Hon Sec), are also Members and are the current Trustees.

·  The Committee has met on the third Thursday in most of the months during the 2016 to 2017 year to manage, run, maintain and develop the Hall.

MAINTENANCE.

·  The Statutory annual inspections of the electrical equipment (PAT tests), the fire detection and alarms system, the Fire Extinguishers, and gas appliances have been performed during the year. Again, the contractors were: Admiral Extinguishers; Skaino Atmos; and Linleigh Electrical.

·  During the fire alarm test and inspection, the fluorescent tubes in the main Hall were replaced.

·  The double-glazed windows on the road side of the Hall remain “smoky” and will be attended to in due time.

·  A water leak occurred in the front of the Hall and the front lawns were very marshy and soggy. Eventually it was proved to be a damaged water main, which was not a part of the Hall’s responsibilities being on the road side of the fence and it was repaired by Severn Trent at no cost to us.

·  Throughout the year members of the Committee have carried out ongoing maintenance tasks such as repairs to light fittings and repairs to door kick guards,

·  Also, we took the opportunity to use the tower hired to carry out the replacement tubes to clean the Hall’s ceiling and upper walls.

·  We have continued to keep the downstairs corridor door locked, unless the main Hall is in use, as a safety measure, even when the PO, and the Offices are in use.

·  The weekly Fire Alarm tests have continued to be performed ensuring that they are working properly.

ENABLED COMMERCIAL SERVICES:

4.1 OFFICES.

During the past year two of the upstairs offices have been rented by Draper Management and two others on the opposite side of the corridor by Mr Adams’ e-collectables Business. There remains one other vacant office and it is used as a Committee and general meeting room.

The downstairs room, previously known as the Committee room, was, during the year let to a Hairdressing Business, Lacey’s His and Hers, the owner of which lives in Stockton.

4.2 POST OFFICE.

·  Our two villages have continued to enjoy this facility through the year with the role of Post Mistress remaining with Maxine, another of our village residents.

·  The Committee has placed adverts in the Parish News detailing services offered by the Post Office. As a result, there has been an increase in the number of people using the Post Office.

LICENSING & PREMISES MATTERS.

·  Our annual Premises Licenses, two for music, and two for showing films, were maintained and renewed throughout the year enabling many entertaining functions to be performed.

·  The annual two music licenses are, one for PPL and the other PRS, are still jointly costing 2% of our hiring incomes, exclusive of incomes from donations and rents. So, our hirers are covered by them.

·  The two film licenses, one of £123.00 for Film Bank (PVS) and the other for £118.92 for MPLC, were in operation throughout the last year.

·  The main Premises License from Stratford District Council, License Number 009938, costs us nothing; however, it still does not include the sale of alcohol so when it is to be retailed a TEN is required and it must be obtained from Stratford District Council for which we can provide help together with copies of the necessary forms. We continue to monitor the legal situation on Premises licenses for alcohol sales but it is very complex and, as far as we know, would still involve an annual expense, and a properly qualified person to act as licensee.

·  However, our Premises License does include the performance of music, singing, dancing, stage plays and cinematographic exhibitions.

ENERGY SUPPLIES:

·  In previous years we purchased our electricity and gas from suppliers contacted through www.makeitcheaper.com, an Internet firm. Now, we have done it directly from, what in our view, are the best suppliers.

·  Our current contract for electricity is with British Gas and the current two year one for Gas is with Opus Energy, based in Moulton in Northamptonshire, and it was for two years and still had at the end of the financial year some time to run.

BOOKINGS REPORT.

Studying the Booking Diary from April 2016 to the end of March 2017 reveals the following information data:

·  Play Group; ~48 Wednesday morning Bookings

·  Fun Club, Squad, and Friends etc; ~39 Evening Bookings

·  The WI ~11 On the 3rd Wednesday of the month.

·  Fitness Group ~45 On Tuesday evenings.

·  Table Tennis ~45 On Monday evenings.

·  Badminton ~27 On Wednesday evenings.

·  Children’s & Adult Parties, Funeral events, Wedding Receptions etc ~14 occasions.

·  The Social Film evenings 9 times.

·  St Leonard’s Church 1 occasion.

·  The Priors Marston Parish Council ~8 times.

·  The Priors School, FOPS etc ~1 occasion.

·  One Charitable fund-raising event in the Hall for the Air Ambulance.

·  As Polling Station for one Election.

·  The Polling Booth, which we store on behalf of the District Council, has been changed to a more up to date version and is used by them.

·  Other Hirings for what one may identify under the title of Commercial and other uses were: 1 hiring for Rug Sales; one to the Daventry Cycling Club and another for one from Coventry.

·  On at least 6 occasions our tables and chairs, kitchen utensils, and so forth have been hired and/or lent out to our sister organizations or local people.

Looking at the sections of society to whom our Hall provides services and facilities:

·  Children of all ages, and their parents, and this is well used;

·  Ladies of which the WI and Fitness Group are prime examples;

·  During this year a group of men and Ladies have been using the Hall for indoor sports such as Badminton, and Table Tennis, (although the Indoor Bowls has ceased due to other applications on its evenings);

·  Local entertainments eg the film shows;

·  Some locally held charitable function are enabled;

·  Some commercial functions and services for residents are enabled;

·  Fellow organizations are supported by providing facilities for their needs;

·  Post Office services are enabled;

·  Local Businesses have again been provided with office facilities;

·  A Hair Dressing Service for all is once again operating;

·  The in Hall local Book Library is still frequently in use and being loaded with more books;

·  Operating the Hall provides some business incomes for local people such as for maintenance, repair, and facility development.

As we report each year when we look at these sections and try to identify new ones for whom we don’t provide services. However now, the user groups are more balanced than in previous periods.

Over this year the main Hall was in use for approximately 253 occasions. This is an increase of about 14 over the year 2015 to 2016 when it was 239.

BOOKING RATES.

Again, the main Hall prices have not changed during the year for our hirers. The increases reported at our 2012 AGM were the first since the new Hall was opened in 1999.

FILM SHOWS.

·  These are now in their 12th Year and are organized, and lead, by Lee Robinson, Chairman of the Hall Committee, and again the program has been well supported.

·  Having our own licenses enables us to choose our own films independently of those on offer from the Stratford District Council.

·  Our own projection equipment is continuing to be in use and has, occasionally, been used by other hirers.

·  A secure facility for storing the film equipment is installed.

·  There are conditions to our licenses: one is that we are unable to charge entry fees; or publicly advertise the events. So, to fund for the events etc, we invite donations from people who come but they have the freedom not to contribute if they so choose.

·  This year the over all incomes from these amounted to around £1263.00 and the expenditures for the two film Licenses totaled £241.92. So, the approximate surplus was about £1022.

·  The program ceased for the summer months and has now been resumed.

COMMITTEE NEWS & ACTIVITIES.

FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS.

We have continued to listen to, and try to capture new ideas, from our residents, as to what other uses they wish to see in the Hall. One such, that began early in the last financial year was the fitness group that has been running weekly on Tuesday evenings.

THE CARETAKING, BOOKING SYSTEM ROLES.

·  Firstly, we thank to Caroline Whitehead for performing the caretaker function so thoroughly throughout the year.

·  Secondly, we thank Barbara Harvey for performing the booking functions so well.

·  Thirdly, we thank Pete Brown for mowing the lawns again.

·  Fourthly we thank Nigel Whitehead for pruning the hedges and dealing with many weeds growing in the various parts of the grounds.

That concluded this year’s report.

5. The financial report:

THE PRIORS HALL

TREASURER'S REPORT AGM 22nd Sept 2017

Introduction

The 2016/17 financial year has seen no significant extraordinary items.

Income

Income at £15,274 improved slightly over the previous year at £14,876.

The offices continue to contribute the majority of the income at £10,434, and we had full occupancy during the current year. The general hall hire accounts for £3,445 – a decrease of £353 on the previous year, which was a not a true representation of its use as some payments were collected during 2015/16 from previous years.

Income from the film evenings was £1,360.43 for the year and accounts for the majority of the remaining income.

Expenditure

Total expenditure this year at £8,399 is £2,342 less than the prior year – mainly due to a reduction in business rates and the timing of the bills for utility supplies, having changed suppliers during the year. Most costs are relatively constant

Most of the expenditure is down to general running costs. Energy bills, business and water rates account for £2,625, of these expenses, insurance, licenses and legal fees equate to £1,379, caretaking costs are £2,620 and the remainder of costs relate to general upkeep – grass cutting, window cleaning, cleaning products and gas/electrical equipment safety checks, etc..

Year end financial status as at 31st March 2017

Current account - £31,094.55

Savings account - £0

We reviewed the market during the year to look at a better return of interest on our savings, and closed the Scottish Widows account which was returning 0.01% interest, transferring the balance of £12890.84 to the current account on 29th March 2017. We have since opened a Business savings account which offers 0.05% interest and allows immediate access if required

Current Financial status as at 22nd September 2017

As at 22nd September 2017 we currently have the following funds, assets and liabilities:-

Current account £7,526.37

Savings account £25,000.68

Audit Status

These accounts are currently subject to audit

A question was then raised about the outstanding debts arising from the creation of the new Hall in the years from 1997 to 1999 some of which had been repaid when the provider requested and the others have not been as yet.

Another one was asked about the ownership of the Hall ground and buildings property and it was explained to the meeting that the Committee had been studying this matter throughout the year and would quite likely be recording it to the appropriate authorities.

6. To propose the Auditors for 2017 to 2018.

The Chairman Lee Robinson proposed that Mr John Franklin should be invited to perform the role of Auditors for this year and that was seconded by the Secretary, Mike Smith. It was agreed by those present.